What's Up, Up Here? The news and gossip for May 18-24

May 18, 2012

Yes, it’s true: Stacy Corless will leave the Friends of the Inyo in July to be executive director of the Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation. She’ll work closely with MMCF pres Mark Brownlie to strengthen and build K-12 programs. Not to be confused with Evan Russell’s Mammoth Lakes Foundation. …

Meanwhile, the Uncle Moneybags of the MMCF, Austin Buetner, has dropped his bid for Mayor of Los Angeles. …

Tony Dublino, a fine skier and mountain man, is the new solid waste go-to guy for the county. …

Some things candidates shouldn’t say: “Once Mammoth emerges out of the backside of this problem…” That would be Bob Peters, supes candidate at last Monday’s candidate forum, answering a question funneled thorugh C of C Prez Brent Truax, and we say Yeeeuw! …

Speaking of the supes candidates (and who isn’t?), Tim Alpers reminds us of the time that it was all about the Cowboys (County) and the Aliens (Mammoth), later updated to the modernistic L. Aliens. …

A note to Jan Huggans, now that we’re poking fun, it’s the “Town of Mammoth Lakes,” not the “City of Mammoth Lakes.” If we were an actual city, just imagine the magnitude of what we could (goof) up. Just sayin.’ …

Tim Fesko has a sharp bite to his humor. “The ‘us’ is always the other ‘them,’’’ said he, describing the populations of Mono County and Mammoth, and we think we understand that. …

Curious, but somehow not surprising, was that neither of the phrases “Mammoth Mountain Ski Area” nor “Rusty Gregory” were ever uttered, although plenty of references were made to Mammoth as “the economic engine” of Mono County. And the “economic engine of Mammoth?” Ahem. Uh, yeah: Them who shall be unnamed. …

If it seems we just can’t leave the candidates alone, well, what do you do when one of them (Alpers) says that to get hold of him, use the phone, email, conversations, and if that doesn’t work, “just throw a rock at my truck.”…

Oh, and by the way, the MT vows to go an entire issue without spelling Alpers’ name wrong. …

Former Mammoth Lakes Visitors Bureau Director Mark Bellinger was found dead in Alabama after he resigned from his job as Okaloosa, Florida County Tourism Director and after he admitted he spent more than $700,000 of tax money to buy a yacht. He left a suicide note, says the Florida press. …

In the silent Town Council race in Mammoth, it’s starting to look as if Michael Raimondo has a commanding lead. …

Geography lesson from the May 15 Salem (Mass.) News, in an article about the distance runner and Olympic medal candidate Shalene Flanagan, a member of the Oregon track team who trains here: “In other words, this bucolic town of 8,000 residents (Mammoth) that sidles up to the Pacific Ocean was the perfect spot for Flanagan to get the high mileage, high altitude training that she needed.” Yup, we can almost smell the ocean from here, 188 miles away, just over that huge mountain range. …

Details magazine recently ran a piece on how to run, and Mammoth Track Club founder Terrance Mahon is featured prominently, as is his coaching advice. It’s all about form, says he. "Most kids have ideal form. They land mid-foot, they don't lean from the hips, and they have shorter strides. You need to get back to that." …

MLTPA’s John Wentworth, terrific skier and friend of the environment, got a rude handshake from Mother Nature when a rock rolled over his hand last weekend and busted his index finger. “Crushed it like a grape,” he said. He’s all right, but had to go a week of being ‘typing challenged,’” he said. …

Speaking of pain, Stuart Brown crashed his bike Tuesday, but the asphalt came out OK. Brown did, too, although he was knocked out of action as Recreation Director for a coupla days. Bike is all right, too. …

That brings us to Mammoth’s Chip White, who was named coach of the year by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Assn. for his work with the women’s speed teams. …

They’re up to their (blips) in rattlesnakes in Paradise and Swall Meadows, says Supe Hap Hazard. The snakes are out early and in big numbers, so watch out and watch out for your dogs, too. Hazard says there might be an upcoming rattlesnake aversion training session on behalf of the mutts in the county. The sessions have been popular in other snaky places, and Hazard says the county is looking into it. ...

Mono County Assistant District Attorney Tim Kendall was appointed to replace retiring D.A. George Booth on Tuesday to fill the remainder of Booth's unexpired term. Vote was 5-0—unanimity with conviction, we say. ...

The long wait, as well as this column, is almost over. Whitmore Pool opens Monday!

Comments

The MLTPA is nothing but an extension of the UN Agenda 21 hidden under the green mask of fake environmentalism. They are heavily funded by big agenda 21 organizations. One of the end games of agenda 21 is to ABOLISH PRIVATE PROPERTY and tax you to the grave.
The specific plan is called United Nations Agenda 21 Sustainable Development, which has its basis in Communitarianism. By now, most Americans have heard of sustainable development but are largely unaware of Agenda 21.
MLTPA have become powerful and will continue to do so if you let them. These groups start out small and will end up running the show. It you don t do anything and you want your lives run by a bunch of UN Green police in the not too distant future. This does not have to happen if you don' t let groups like the MLTPA infiltrate our town council.
Educate your selves and become active in your community now! This can only be fought at a local level.